Product Description

Burying her grief, Emory Chance is determined to find her daughter Daisy's murderer-a man she saw in a flicker of a vision. But when the investigation hits every dead end, her despair escalates. Not even the kindness of her persistent suitor Hixon can soften her heart towards the community of friends that long for her healing. And as the questions surrounding Daisy continue to mount, and Emory's safety is shattered by the tattooed man's dark pursuit, she can't shake the sickening fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy's disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for?

A gripping suspense novel, A Slow Burn is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and the bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and pain of telling the truth and letting God take over. Most of all, it is about the strength of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer has power. Mary DeMuth's distinctive new voice in Christian fiction will keep readers enthralled as they ask soul-searching questions in this second book of the Defiance, Texas Trilogy.

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Publisher's Description

I will punish you as your deeds deserve  Emory Chance knows the cross-stitched warning points directly to her motherly neglect. Burying her grief, shes determined to find her daughter Daisys murderer. But when the investigation hits a dead end, her anger escalates. Not even the kindness of her persistent suitor Hixon can soften her heart towards the community of friends that can help her begin to heal. And as the questions surrounding Daisy continue to mount, Emory cant shake the fear that her own choices contributed to Daisys disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for? A gripping suspense novel, A Slow Burn is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and the bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and pain of telling the truth and letting God take over. Most of all, it is about the strength of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer has power. Mary DeMuths distinctive new voice in Christian fiction will keep readers enthralled as they ask soul-searching questions in this second book of the Defiance, Texas Trilogy.

Author Bio

Mary DeMuth is the author of several southern novels, including A Slow Burn, Life in Defiance, and the Christy award finalists, Watching the Tree Limbs and Daisy Chain. Shes also written four parenting books and a memoir, Thin Places. Shes passionate about the written word, teaching, and mentoring writers. Mary lives in Texas with her husband, Patrick, and their three children.

"A Slow Burn" is a Christian historical novel set in 1977 in Texas. This is the second novel in the series. You can understand and enjoy the story even if you haven't read the first novel, but I got the feeling the story would have had even more depth (and there was plenty already) if I'd read the first book before this one.

This was one of those stories that drew me in and came vividly to life in my imagination, but I think it had more to do with a few, select setting details combined with vividly drawn characters. You truly got to know Emory and Hixon's deepest thoughts, hurts, and fears--nothing held back. The characters were realistic in their reactions to the events and in their coping mechanisms.

The low-level suspense came from the mysterious break-ins at Emory's house and people's worries that the murderer might strike again. When the story ends, we still don't know the name of whodunit, but Emory has finally admitted the truth about herself to herself and started down her road of healing. It's a long, hard, and painful road for her to get to that point, and I suspect it's not going to be an easy road for her from this point on, either.

There was a Christian element--God is clearly involved in these character's lives and is pursuing a closer relationship with them. It didn't come across as one character preaching to another, though--it's more people loving each other like Christ loves us. There was a minor amount of "he swore" style and fake bad language. Emory did use drugs. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this book.

Almost as good as the first novel, but not quite. There was a time or two that I became almost depressed, but told myself that she WOULD come to know Jesus somewhere down the line. I am eagerly awaiting the third novel, which is on it's way to me.

In this follow-up novel to Daisy Chain, DeMuth had found her groove. Editorially sound, this gripping story set in Defiance, TX takes readers into the beauty and pain of real-life, and will touch their hearts along the way. I highly recommend this book.

Iam disappointed that the author did not reveal who killed Daisy in her second book. There was too much jumping back and forth from the past to the present, This second book A Slow Burn should have finished the story.